Sawcliffe Manor: an ancestral home turned colourful escape

Earlier this year, we took a trip to North Lincolnshire to visit Sawcliffe Manor, the centuries-old ancestral home belonging to the Elwes family. A labour of love spanning three decades today, it is a characterful and colourful holiday home. We took a tour around the property and chatted to Emily Elwes about why colour is not to be feared, how to use leftover paint to transform your stairs, and the plan for redecorating their Library Room.

What’s the history behind Sawcliffe Manor? Do you feel a need to maintain its traditional style or do you feel like you have the freedom to put your own stamp on it?

Sawcliffe is a farmhouse with very ancient roots dating back to the Middle Ages. We’ve spent almost 30 years renovating it and now, with the help of the income that we generate from hosting large groups of Airbnb guests (we sleep up to 48) we’re working on saving its numerous out-buildings from ruin too.

In many ways, the manor’s history really dictates the style of the rooms, as its original features are so strong. We have living rooms with Tudor stone windows and Inglenooks on one end of the Manor, and others with high Georgian ceilings and panelled windows, each dictates what it wants and we let that inspire us. We wish there was a science to it that we could share with you, but our style is very much dictated by gut feeling and whatever we feel like experimenting with at the time!

The house is a gorgeous mix of old and new. Would you say the wall mural in your kitchen, proclaiming “Out with the old and in with the new” sums up your attitude towards decorating? 

“Out with the old in with the new” is our life motto. To let something new in you have to let go of something old. We don’t like to be too precious about decorating and things in our life - we like to have fun and be creative wherever we can. Life is short, and this manor will certainly outlive us!

Sawcliffe Manor is a heady mix of traditional furnishings paired with textiles from around the world and a liberal dose of colour. What would you describe your style as and how do you approach marrying different elements together? 

Maximalism with a whole lot of fun added in. We love to collect inspiration and colour combinations from all over Europe.

The only thing we love more than a hand-painted staircase is a hand-painted staircase using leftover paints. Where did the inspiration come from and how did you decide on the colours and designs that you went for? 

Oh, well we just used all the leftover wood paint that we had and let creativity take hold. Mum likes to paint in a ‘naive’ style, so she doesn’t think too much about making her patterns perfect. If it goes wrong, you can always paint over it.

With 9 staircases, 22 rooms, and 26 windows, it must have been a daunting project. What would your advice be to someone taking on a period property renovation? 

Patience, and lots of it. This isn’t a sprint it’s a marathon. Renovating is much more of a lifestyle choice rather than anything logical. We think that early on it’s a good idea to get used to things being imperfect, as period properties always have their quirks.

Beyond that, we’d highly recommend paying homage as best you can to original building techniques. Using plasters and water-based paints to help your property remain breathable will be a good long term investment for the health and longevity of your home, even if it might seem like a big expense to begin with.

Finally, get yourselves a subscription to World of Interiors, they have lots of fascinating period properties and articles that you can paw over and get inspiration from.

Each of Sawcliffe Manor’s 7 bedrooms is decorated in a unique style. What was the inspiration behind the rooms and how did you keep them looking tied together yet still individual?

For each room we tend to pay attention to the light streaming into it (is it north facing with a blue light? Or is it south facing with a warmer light), and from there we combine that insight with the proportions and shape of the room to help us make decisions. A large 3-meter high room with original mouldings will naturally call for a grand design with more sumptuous colour and fabric choices, whereas an attic room with low ceilings will call for something cosier, maybe even chocolate colours. We also try and sleep in each room before we make any decisions - even the kitchen!

The house is filled with quirky antiques. What’s your secret to sourcing them and where would you recommend our readers begin? 

We were reluctant to let you in on this tip, but since the pandemic, most local auction houses have gone online and have fabulous shipping options. That means that you can now shop for antiques from the comfort of your own sofa.

Maintaining the house must be one thing, but the grounds of Sawcliffe Manor are extensive. We love your Cottagecore style—how do you keep them looking as beautiful as they do? 

We have a lot of garden to tend to, that’s true! We like to say, “if you can’t beat them, join them”, so we have created rewilded borders, areas for nettles and moles, and even planted wildflowers for the birds and the bees. We have a real love of living willow garden ‘fledges’ - these are fence hedges. They are beautiful woven structures and we work with Lincolnshire Willow every year to renew them.

Let’s talk about that yurt. It looks like such an incredible entertaining space! What was behind the decision to go out and buy it? 

We’re not sure that there was much decision-making behind it, it was more of an impulsive eBay purchase which was the bargain of the century at the time. We originally bought it as a studio and office space for Mum, and it’s so nice that it’s now enjoying a new lease of life as a glamping spot and a party venue for our manor guests on the weekends.

We absolutely love its structure and style. Every year we take it down and put it back up again ready for its spring clean, and we never get tired of seeing this magnificent structure, holding this fabulous dome up by geometry. Photos definitely don’t do it justice!

Whilst you’ll seldom see it referenced on the pages of a glossy interiors magazine, budget impacts every level of a decor project. What would be your top tips for decorating on a budget? 

Paint is one of the most cost-effective ways of adding style and interest to a room. We promise you we’re not just saying this because we’re being interviewed by Lick, we’ve always been huge lovers of using paint as a first port of call. We’d also recommend thinking about large antiques like wardrobes and other large items.

In sales and auctions, these items have a similar price tag to shops like IKEA and other furniture stores. Finally, if you are buying antiques, go for whatever you find fun, not what’s necessarily on-trend. Right now for instance, Edwardian furniture is very affordable, or items from the 1930s. You can find fab bargains of excellent quality by going against the tide.

If you had to choose just one, what would your favourite Lick paint colour be? 

That would be like choosing a favourite child.

Find out more about Sawcliffe Manor on their website or follow them on Instagram to stay in the know about upcoming events and availability.